Zaha Hadid’s Top Three Architecture Designs Will Leave You Speechless

Bridge Pavilion, Zaragoza, Spain

The river and the gladioli blooms beneath it inspired Zaha Hadid’s first completed bridge, which was designed for the World Expo 2008 in Zaragoza. It’s about 900 feet of fiberglass and concrete that served as a bridge over the Ebro River and a temporary display during the Expo. After it was built, Zaha Hadid commented, “The Bridge Pavilion (was) a significant project for the firm.”

Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Scotland

The Riverside Museum is one of Zaha Hadid’s most recognizable designs, with its spectacular zigzagging zinc-clad roof overlooking the River Clyde. The architecture of the building is influenced by its location, where the Kelvin River meets the Clyde, designed to function as a bridge between the city and the river. The museum will act as a “dynamic interaction in which the museum is the voice of both (city and river), linking the two sides and allowing the museum to provide a passage between them,” according to the design.

Guangzhou Opera House, Guangdong province, China

The Guangzhou Opera House, described by The Guardian as “the world’s most spectacular opera house,” exemplifies Hadid’s devotion to environmental and architectural harmony. The structure, which is situated on the banks of a river, is meant to resemble “pebbles in a stream smoothed by erosion.” The International Architectural Competition in 2002 awarded Hadid the prize for this beautiful structure.